Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used systems of healing in the world.
Originating in China some 3,500 years ago, only in the last three decades has it become popular in the United States. Acupuncture is based the belief that we live in a universe in which everything is inter-connected. What happens to one part of the body affects every other part of the body. The mind and body are not viewed separately, but as part of an energetic system.
Similarly, organs and organ systems are viewed as interconnected structures that work together to keep the body functioning. Traditional Chinese medicine hold that there are as many as 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body, which are connected by 20 pathways (12 main, 8 secondary) called meridians. These meridians conduct energy, or qi (pronounced “chi”), between the surface of the body and its internal organs.
Each point has a different effect on the qi that passes through it. Qi , which is considered a vital force or energy responsible for controlling the workings of the human mind and body. Qi flows through the body via channels, or pathways or meridians.
Qi is believed to help regulate balance in the body. It is influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang, which represent positive and negative energy and forces in the universe and human body.
Acupuncture is believed to keep the balance between yin and yang, thus allowing for the normal flow of qi throughout the body and restoring health to the mind and body.